Good Things Utah and The Daily Dish

Guess what I did this past Friday…I watched The Daily Dish and Good Things Utah filmed live!

My sister is a huge fan of both shows, so for Christmas I got her tickets. It was really cool to see the difference between the shows on tv and the actual filming. I was so impressed with how kind the cast and all the crew behind the scenes were! The shows are aired live, so they have to change their scenes during commercial breaks. Most of their settings are all on wheels, so their transitions are really easy and versatile. However, during the breaks, it always seemed very chaotic and rushed (understandable, since they had limited time between segments.) From watching the shows, I never would have guessed the hurried state they are in just seconds before the camera starts rolling again. Every once in a while, someone would randomly talk out loud, and then they would proceed to change something on set, reorganize notes, use a different camera, etc. After a while, I realized they were all wearing headsets and somebody who wasn’t on set was, quite literally, talking into their ear, giving instructions to make the show run smoothly. The really cool part was that they could just talk out loud, and whoever was on the other side of the headsets could hear whatever they were saying. Another thing I thought was super interesting was how many different cameras they were using. They had at least four, but I’m not sure how they were able to edit all four camera scenes since the shows are aired live. I guess a lot more goes into the process than I ever would have imagined. Enough of this though, let’s get to the fun stuff! Because they are prominently unknown shows and only played in Utah, my sister, mom, and I were the only audience members. During the shows, they normally show a shot of the audience, and when I’ve watched the shows, there has normally been around twenty members. It was really cool being the entire audience though; we got to hog the show members all to ourselves! (Sorry about the quality of the photos. I forgot my camera, so all I had was my iPhone.)

Glenn Morshower was a guest on both shows. Don’t know who he is? He has acted in over 150 productions, including Transformers, X-Men, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, and 24. Since he was on both shows, he sat and talked to us for a bit while waiting for GTU to start. Of course, as soon as I got home I looked him up on IMDB. Granted he’s generally a minor roles on shows, but I can’t believe how down to earth he is.

During some segments, only one or the other of the cast will actually host. So while they are not on screen, they would review their notes and prepare for other parts of the show.

Oh who is this? You might ask. That would be Mr. Louis Van Amstel from Dancing with the Stars. And yes I did shake his hand 😉

It was a blast! I learned so much and had tons of fun; it was definitely an experience I will never forget. If you live close to Salt Lake City, I would recommend watching the live filming. Plus, tickets are free.